It’s been a long three years, but good news has finally arrived: The 2018 Vina Croatia Grand Tasting is coming again to New York City!
This trade and media only tasting is scheduled for Monday, March 26, 2018 from 11:00 AM till 4:30 PM at Astor Center.
Guests will have the unique opportunity to sample over 100 wines from dozens of Croatian estates and award-winning wineries. Over twenty winemakers and/or winery representative will be on hand to speak with guests and answer questions, including Agrolaguna; Badel; Degrassi; Skaramuča; Erdutski Vinogradi; Fakin; Iločki Podrumi; Jako Vino (Stina); Kabola; Katunar; Korta Katarina; Kozlović; Matošević; Miloš; JasnaAntunović Turk; Osilovac; Rizman; Veralda; Bibich; Buhač; Cattunar; and Zlatan Otok.
This is the forth Grand Tasting of the wines of Croatia in the United States. The previous three were in 2011, 2013, and 2015.
The 2018 program includes two masterclasses, which are RSVP only and expected to sell out quickly. The first is masterclass, Cracking Croatian Wine, will be hosted by authors and vinous travelers, Dr. Matthew Horkey and Charine Tan. The second masterclass, Croatian Hall of Fame Wines, will feature a selection of Decanter World Wine Awards and other award-winning wines and will be lead by Wines of Croatia founder, sommelier, and wine writer, Cliff Rames.
Registration for the walk-around tasting and masterclasses is complimentary and exclusive to members of the wine trade and press. To register and submit your RSVP, please follow this link or email: events@fmg.nyc
The SOMM Journal, a leading wine and spirits magazine based in California with over 100,000 subscribers—many of whom are sommeliers, alcoholic beverage distributors, and other wine professions and enthusiasts—just published a three-page report from the I Am Tribidrag conference, which was held in April 2017 in Split, Croatia.
The I Am Tribidrag conference was a two-day celebration dedicated to a single theme: the amazing story of Tribidrag/ Zinfandel/ Crljenak Kaštelanski and the discovery of its origins on the Adriatic coast of Croatia. Speakers and honorary guests included members of the team behind the discovery: Dr. Carole Meredith of UC Davis, and Zagreb University professors Edi Maletić and Ivan Pejić.
California winemakers David Gates (Ridge Vineyards) and Joel Peterson (Ravenswood Winery) also conducted presentations, as well as botanist and grape geneticist (and co-author of Wine Grapes) José Vouillamoz, and Italian winemaker Lisa Gilbee. Jancis Robinson, the distinguished British wine writer (Purple Pages) and Master of Wine participated as a special guest and moderator of a tasting of Tribidrag wines from around the world.
Written by Wines of Croatia founder Cliff Rames (who is also Contributing-Editor-at-Large for The SOMM Journal and The Tasting Panel magazines), the report includes exclusive quotes and impressions from Robinson, Vouillamoz, Meredith, Peterson, and Pejić.
The “Zinfully” Intriguing I Am Tribidrag Conference Prepares to Host Some of the Wine Industry’s Biggest Names
By Cliff Rames
It’s been over 15 years since we learned of Zinfandel’s origins in Croatia, where 15th century documents identify the nearly forgotten wine grape variety by its ancestral name, Tribidrag. Today, the revelation continues to resonate in vineyards, wineries and wine glasses across the globe—Zinfandel has finally come home.
The story of Zinfandel’s repatriation is one of deep roots, old vines, and forgotten vineyards—a fascinating script with an amazing cast worthy of a Hollywood movie treatment. Cheekily referred to as “Zin Quest”, it is an epic tale of intrigue and modern forensic detective work that spanned two continents and involved a team of UC Davis researchers, headed by Dr. Carole Meredith, and two Croatian grapevine geneticists, Professor Edi Maletić and Professor Ivan Pejić.
Hollywood movie aside, if you haven’t yet read the story or require a refresher, check out my Zinfandel in Croatia: A Sort of Homecomingarticle, which I chronicled in 2014 for The SOMM Journaland later republished (with permission) on this blog.
Better still, make plans to attend the first-ever I Am Tribidrag International Conference! This two-day celebration and immersion program into the amazing story of Tribidrag/ Zinfandel/ Crljenak Kaštelanski will be held April 27-28, 2017 in Split, Croatia at the five-star Hotel Park, just a few short miles from the Kaštela vineyard where the “Original Zin” vines were discovered in 2001.
Ivica Radunic’s “Original Zin” vineyard in Kastel Novi (photo by Cliff Rames)
The I Am Tribidrag conference will feature an exciting program of guided tastings, supplemental wine tours and excursions, and lectures by several winemakers and distinguished authorities in the industry, including: Dr. Meredith; professors Maletić and Pejić: California winemakers David Gates (Ridge Vineyards) and Joel Peterson (Ravenswood Winery); botanist and grape geneticist (and co-author of Wine Grapes) Dr. José Vouillamoz; and Italian winemaker Lisa Gilbee.
Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine, will also be attending as a special guest. Described by Decanter magazine as “the most respected wine critic and journalist in the world”, Robinson has authored several books, including The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine (with Hugh Johnson). Ms. Robinson also co-authored the book Wine Grapes, which authoritatively defers to “Tribidrag” as the historical and rightful name for the variety also known respectively as Crljenak Kaštelanski, Primitivo, and Zinfandel (in fact, if you turn to the entries in the book for those varieties, Robinson directs you to “See Tribidrag”).
With an incredible line-up of speakers, the I Am Tribidrag Conference is a must for any Zinfandel advocate, wine lover, history buff, or student of ampelography (the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines). Guided, comparative tastings of over 20 different wines will showcase how variations of terroir impact the character of Tribidrag grown in different areas of Croatia and benchmark regions like California and Italy. A series of extracurricular wine tours and excursions will provide guests with an introduction to the Dalmatian landscape that Zinfandel calls home.
One of the “Original Zin” (Crljenak Kastelanski) vines found in the Radunic vineyard (photo by Cliff Rames)
Here is the conference program schedule:
Day 1: Thursday, April 27, 2017
16:30–18:30: Registration
18:30–19:00: Opening ceremony, presentation of the Programme and Speakers
19:00–20:00: Story of Tribidrag (Prof. Carole Meredith, Prof. Ivan Pejić)
20:30–23:00: Buffet dinner and tasting of indigenous Dalmatian varieties
Day 2: Friday, April 28, 2017
10:00–11:30: Zinfandel in the United States, with tasting (D. Gates, J. Peterson)
11:30–12:00: Coffee break
12:00–13:30: Primitivo in Italy, with tasting (L. Gilbee)
13:30–15:00: Lunch break
15:00–16:30 Tribidrag in Croatia, with tasting (Prof. E. Maletić, G. Zdunić)
16:30–17:00: Coffee break
17:00–18:30: Tribidrag in the Rest of the World, with tasting (J. Vouillamoz); Special guest Jancis Robinson
The I Am Tribidrag Conference is organized by the Tribidrag Association of Zagreb, Croatia. Founded by wine enthusiasts Davorka Krnić-Trick, Fani Prodan,and Iva Drganc, in collaboration with Edi Maletić and Ivan Pejić. The association’s mission is to promote the native wine grapes of Croatia in partnership with other wine enthusiasts and renowned wine experts.
For more information, please visit www.tribidrag.org, or email info@tribidrag.org.
For further Information about accommodations and available wine tours, please contact mice@globtour.hr
If you were unable to attend Croatia’s 2016 Dalmacija Wine Expo in April, don’t dismay (but start making plans for next year!) and instead check out these exclusive photos for an insider’s look at the festivities. For a full report of the event and more photos, check out our recent post by Cliff Rames: “Dalmatia Wine Expo 2016: Three Things I Learned”.
(Note: I first visited the Dalmatia Wine Expo in Split, Croatia two years ago in 2014. You can read my 2014 “Three Things I Learned” post HERE.)
Drinking wine could be compared to reading a book. Some books, like some wines, serve as mere entertainment, devoid of depth and enjoyed in a moment. Quickly they fade into the past without commemoration or recall.
Great books, though, capture and captivate your imagination. Glued to the page, each word enthralls…every sentence propels you deeper into the folds, eager to know what comes next…how the plot develops…what happens to the characters. The best among them may even influence and affect your life’s journey.
Uncorking Croatia 